The Last Emporer Falls

The biggest match-up in MMA this year, the indomitable Fedor Emelianenko v. Dan Henderson turned out to be another in a sad chapter for what many consider to be the greatest fighter to ever step into the cage. Fedor has lost his last three fights in convincing fashion to Anotnio Silva, Febricio Werdum and now to Dan Henderson. Fedor does have his detractors including UFC President Dana White who does not consider Emelianenko the greatest MMA fighter ever. If the last three outings for Fedor are any indication the detractors stand triumphant because the man once though invincible has been shown to be very much human. 

Emelianenko had a streak of wins and one no-contest that spanned over nine years, an extraordinary feat for anyone in professional sports, especially combat. One of the highlights of that run was the spectacular mid-air knockout of Andrsi Arlovski, something that may never be replicated by anyone. Of the last three fights only the one against Werdum could be considered a lucky win for the opponent because anyone can get caught at the right moment in the right hold and being submitted is more of a lapse in judgment than anything else. The fight with Silva, which was stopped by the doctor can possibly be rationalized away as well but Henderson left no doubt that it may be time for Fedor to leave the cage.

Some say that referee Herb Dean, widely considered to be the best referee in the business, stopped Hendo v. Fedor too soon, that Fedor had recovered and was in a position to defend himself. The rule is simple, if a fighter takes a punch and his body goes limp, the fight is over and Henderson nailed Emelianenko on the chin from underneath and Fedor hit the mat, he was out. From my vantage point it appeared that one of Henderson’s follow-up punches may have brought Fedor back into reality but the initial punch landed, put him out and the fight was over. The only people too blind to see that are the ones who do not want to see the legacy tarnished, the mystique gone and the air of invincibility lifted.

What is next for Fedor Emelianenko is anyone’s guess but he said post fight interview that it was “God’s will.” The Strikeforce announce crew was gushing for Fedor to return to the cage, especially Gus Johnson as well as many fans not only of Fedor but also of MMA. Only Fedor can decide if his heart and his head are still in the game or if it is time to retire and let his legacy, his reputation and his health rest on what he has accomplished. What and when is it enough is the real question that needs to be asked, with nothing left to attain in the world of combat sports Fedor can easily walk away with a career never to be matched or he can continue to fight and take a chance to only be remembered for the fights he did not win.

Other matches on the Strikeforce show, which was live on Showtime but also available for $25 on PPV, which made no sense to me, included Tarec Saffiedine winning a decision over Scott Smith, Tyron Woodley with a decision over Paul Daley, Tim Kennedy with a decision and a nasty cut for his trouble over Robbie Lawler, Miesha Tate with a submission win over Marloes Coenen to with the Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Kennedy gave a great interview after the fight but for some reason he got under my skin. Robbie Lawler is a great fighter but he cannot seem to string together a series of fights he is either really there or just there. I am happy for Miesha Tate she is in the catbird seat to be the new face of women’s MMA and hopefully she can carry that momentum and the weight of the division on her shoulders.

In other MMA news…

• ·         One of the most ignorant things said by the Strikeforce announce team was that Fedor, by virtue of being in Chicago for his fight with Dan Henderson, was the “Michael Jordan” of MMA to which UFC President Dana White replied, via Twitter, “Michael Jordan of MMA? Dumbest thing ever said! So stupid.”

• ·         Early reports are that Henderson will receive $800,000 for his win while Fedor will get $600,000 plus M1Golbal will get almost $1.5 million.

• ·         Strikeforce CEO Coker has said that he hopes for a Gina Carano return to the cage before the end of the year and that she is well but they are not aware of the details of the health related issue that kept Carano out of the cage earlier this year.

• ·         Alistair Overeem is done with Strikeforce with one fight remaining on his current contract because the two sides could not come to terms on a new contract.

• ·         Lyoto Machida priced himself out of a fight with Rashad Evans when Phil Davis pulled out due to injury. Though Tito Ortiz got the spot and will fight on short notice Machida was the first choice for the UFC and according to reports he wanted “Anderson Silva” money which meant six figures plus a cut of the PPV. When the UFC balked Machida’s camp claimed he refused the fight because he would not have had time to train. While a better match stylistically would Machida v. Evans be, Ortiz v. Evans should do better PPV numbers coming off Ortiz upset of Ryan Bader and Ortiz is hot right now.

• ·         UFC Live 6 on October 1, 2011 will have Yves Edwards v. Rafaello Oliveria which should be a good fight with both of the coming off a loss and looking at getting unceremoniously dumped by the UFC with another defeat.